CTV stations, including those in Vancouver, Kitchener, London and Windsor have seen cuts to local sports and other programming, and more layoffs are expected countrywide. A CTV spokesman says the action is part of a larger Bell Media restructuring due to “changing broadcast technologies and growing international competition, a tough advertising market and ongoing regulatory pressure.”
Channel Zero, owner of CHCH-TV Hamilton,has settled with Unifor in its dispute over station employees who were restructured in Dec. 2015. The settlement will see $1,000,001 paid out over two years and earmarked to pay wages, termination pay and severance pay owing to the former employees.
Lionsgate and Canal+ Group’s Studiocanal have signed a long term agreement that will see Studiocanal distribute films from Lionsgate’s Summit Entertainment label in Australia and New Zealand. Studiocanal now distributes Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment film titles in Germany while Lionsgate handles Studiocanal’s film library in North America.
Feist
Feist will perform a special tribute to Leonard Cohen as part of Sunday’s 2017 JUNO Awards broadcast. This year’s line-up of presenters includes Minister of Canadian Heritage Melanie Joly; 2017 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award recipient Buffy Sainte-Marie; singer-songwriter and JUNO Award nominee Chantal Kreviazuk; rapper Jazz Cartier and ETALK reporter Liz Trinnear.
Bell Media has signed an agreement with Electus International to simulcast new reality competition show The Toy Box on CTV alongside its U.S. premiere on ABC, starting April 7. In each episode, five unknown toy designers bring concepts to life as they battle for a spot in the season finale.
Margaret Atwood
The 10-episode first season adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale will debut on Bravo April 30, four days after it hits streaming service Hulu in the U.S. The one-hour Toronto-produced show will continue to air on Sunday nights.
Corus Studios has multiple new international content deals for original series Masters of Flip and Buying The View. The first and second seasons of Masters of Flip have been sold to Discovery Networks International for TLC in Germany, TLC in the Benelux Union and for Discovery Home & Health in Latin America; as well as to NBC Universal for Bravo in New Zealand. Buying the View recently sold to Discovery Networks International for TLC in the Benelux Union and to A+E Networks for FYI in the U.S. The series are now available in 65 territories.
